I met J.J. Rddick on Instagram. No lie. I had watched him when he played at Duke, but he didn’t really come back onto my radar until I received a comment from @JJRedick4 on the @hodinkee Instagram account. I assumed it was someone who had just taken his name. I was wrong, it was J.J. himself.

I then began to follow him and I quickly realized that J.J. had an incredible understanding of wristwatches—an understanding that is seldom found in anyone under the age of 65, let alone in a young NBA player from Virginia. The thing is he’s got really, really good taste. Unlike so many of his teammates and colleagues in the NBA, he has chosen to spend his money on truly excellent timepieces of really impressive quality. J.J. wears the types of watches that I would wear, and the type that I study for a living.

J.J. Redick’s Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 Boutique New York

J.J. Redick’s Patek Philippe 5170G

J.J. Redick’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic

J.J. Redick’s F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu

He wears an ultra-thin Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, arguably one of the best watches ever made (it was my first nice watch, in fact, and I still wear it all the time today). He wears an IWC Portuguese with in-house 8 day self-winding movement, a limited-edition driving watch from legendary manufacture Vacheron Constantin, and even an F.P. Journe!

For those who don’t know what Journe is, that’s kinda the point. This small producer of high-end watches makes about 900 pieces per year (compared to, say Patek who makes around 55,000, or Omega, who makes around 800,000) and is barely known outside the inner horological circles. It’s a real watch guy’s watch, and J.J. Redick, a 29-year-old professional basketball player, owns one. That says a ton about his dedication to watches and his desire to learn.

J.J. doesn’t take the easy way out, and in this second episode of what we’re calling "Talking Watches," I hope you can see how JJ’s passion and knowledge for timepieces come through (episode one with John Mayer can be seen here).

Benjamin Clymer is the founder and ecutive editor of Hodinkee. For the latest in horological news, reviews, and original stories, visit hodinkee.com

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